Alhaji Ado Shuaibu Dansudu, the national president, Arewa United Consultative Forum (AUCF). In an interview with Daily Independent, spoke on the failure of the present administration to address the economic problems of the country, declaring that APC will lose the 2019 election if President Buhari will their flag bearer.
Excerpts:
What is your assessment of the Buhari’s economic policies and how it has addressed the need of the country?
From the way things are going in the country, if APC fields President Muhammadu Buhari for second term in 2019, what happened to PDP would happen to them because the masses that wasted their time and energy to vote for him in 2015 are suffering. It is true that the government has made efforts in degrading Boko Haram insurgency in the country, but many Nigerians are dying of hunger because things are difficult. In the midst of scarce resources, the cost of goods and services continue to be on the increase. We would continue to criticise this administration the way we did during the past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan if Buhari’s administration continue the way it is going.
Judging by the way the administration is going, some people believed Buhari was not adequately prepared for governance. Do you think Buhari really has agenda for the country’s development before coming to power?
When he came with the idea of fighting corruption, a lot of people were excited but now he has lost that initial support he enjoyed from Nigerians because of the way things are in the country now. When you are fighting corruption, the masses expected you to plunge what you have recovered into projects that would improve their standards of living. It is then you would have more supports. When the government decided to ban the importation of food items, we criticised the policy because the raining season just started and it takes months before we harvest what farmers are planting. Before talking of banning food importation, the government would have given at least one or two years deadline to enable farmers produce enough food for the people. It is not even enough to give time line; government must also be prepared to adequately support farmers with farmers and other incentives. But a situation where we don’t have those things in place and you just wake up and ban importation of foods into the country can be described as a wrong decision aimed at increasing suffering and poverty in the country. We voted Buhari into power thinking that things would be better, unfortunately they keep on telling us to exercise patience, but the hardship is killing a lot of people in the country.
But they are claiming that the fall in the price of crude oil at the international market is responsible for the economic down turn we are currently experiencing. What is your opinion on that?
It is true that the price of crude oil has fallen but we must get something right. During the regime of Ibrahim Babangida and late Sani Abacha, our oil price was not more than $35 per barrel and Nigerians were living better than what is happening presently. From that $35, Abacha was able to set up Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) which Buhari himself headed. With that $35, Abacha was also able to execute some projects and looted the treasury which was also re-looted. To say that because the price of oil has fallen that is why we are suffering the way we are is not an acceptable excuse. We campaigned and supported the coming into power of this administration both morally and financially therefore, we cannot fold our hands allowing things to go the way it is going without offering suggestions on how best to handle the situation. I urge the administration to go back to the drawing board and put in place a better programme to solve many problems facing the country very fast and quickly. This government is more than one year since it took over power, and in the history of democratic governance in the country, elected leaders usually have only two years to deliver on the dividends of democracy, the remaining two years are usually for campaigning for second term. I learnt the borders where imported food items used to get to the country was shut to prevent the smuggling of arms into the country. But the question that came to my mind is where our security agents are? It is a shame on the country that all security agents at the border posts to resort to closing borders as the solution to the problem.
Are you saying that if things continue the way it is now and we get to 2019, Buhari should forget re-election?
Yes, I am telling you that unless the government retraces its step and embark on policies that would end the ongoing suffering in the country; both APC and Buhari would lose many votes of the people.
But there is this notion that northerners are with Buhari every day. What can you say about that?
Let us forget about sentiment and think on how best we can build and move the country forward. Let us think of how we can build the country into the next level. The support for this administration is reducing because the government is not addressing the expectation of the people that voted it into power. I know that in places like Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states people are supporting the government, but I want to tell you that this present situation must not continue because we cannot be turned to refugees in our own country.
(Culled from Daily Independent)
